The Population Ofpittsburgh In1790 the POPULATION OF

The Population of Pittsburgh in 1790 161 THE POPULATION OF PITTSBURGH AND CONTIGU- OUS TERRITORY, INCLUDING THE NAMES OF HEADS OF FAMILIES AS SHOWN BY THE UNITED STATES CENSUS OF 1790. On March 1, 1790, Congress enacted a law providing for a census of the United States. Under this law the marshals of the several judicial districts were required to as- certain the number of inhabitants within their respective districts, omitting Indians not taxed. The marshals em- ployed assistant marshals as enumerators. Nine months was allowed in which to complete the work. A summary of the census was transmitted to Congress by President Washington on October 27, 1791. The inhabitants having had no previous experience in census taking, imagined that it was a scheme for increas- ing taxation, and were inclined to be cautious in giving in- formation lest they should reveal to their detriment too much of their own affairs. There was also opposition to the enumeration on religious grounds, a count of the inhabitants being regarded by many as a cause for divine dis- pleasure. The boundaries of towns and other minor divi- sions, and even of counties, were in many cases un- known or not well defined. For these reasons and because of the inexperience, and in many cases the incompetency of the enumerators, the census was less accurate than could be desired, but with allits defects itis invaluable to students of history and sociology, as well as to persons interested in genealogy. In 1790 Pittsburgh did not have a separate existence, being part of Pitt Township. This township comprised a vast area. It included all of Allegheny County lying between the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, as far east as Turtle Creek on the Monongahela, and Plum Creek on the Allegheny, and all of the county north of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, extending northerly to the New York state line, and westerly to what is now the eastern boundary of the state of Ohio. A portion of that part of Pitt Township north of the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers was known as the Depreciation Tract. The Depreciation Tract had been laid out by the state in pursuance of the act of the General As- sembly of Pennsylvania of March 12, 1783, for the purpose of permitting the officers and soldiers of the Pennsylvania line 162 the Population of Pittsburgh in1790 in the Revolution, to whom there had been issued depreciation certificates for services in the war, to purchase the lands and pay for them in the certificates at par with gold or silver. The northerly limit of the Depreciation Tract began at the mouth of Mogulbughititon Creek, now Mahoning Creek, if extended to the westerly side of the Allegheny River, and thence ran by a line due west to the Ohio River. In- cluded in the tract in addition to a portion of Allegheny County as at present constituted, was part of Armstrong County, about one-half of Butler County, part of Lawrence County and all of Beaver County north of the Ohio River. Comprised in this territory were the two tracts reserved by the state, one being opposite Pittsburgh, on which the town of Allegheny had already been laidout, the other being at the mouth of the Beaver River. No census appears to have been taken of the inhabitants of Allegheny County livingnorth of the Depreciation Tract. The assistant marshals for Allegheny County were Colonel Presley Neville of Pittsburgh, who was also enumer- ator of Washington County, and John Findlay, of Westmore- land County, probably a connection of William Findley, a resident of that county and who had been recently elected to Congress.* Colonel Neville had charge of that portion of Alle- gheny County comprising the part taken from Washington County by act of the legislature of September 17, 1789, and of the Depreciation Tract. John Findlay was given the work of preparing the census of Elizabeth, Plum, Versailles and Pitt Townships, exclusive of the Depreciation Tract, and of Westmoreland County. According to the census, the population of Allegheny County was 10,322, of which 5,850, or more than one-half, was contained in that portion lying south of the Mononga- hela River, and which had been taken from Washington County. The census taken by John Findlay is full of glar- ing inaccuracies ;names of individuals begin with small let- ters, they are mispelled, and as is apparent to any one familiar with the names of the early inhabitants, some of them are placed in the wrong division of the county. Col- onel Neville's work was more accurately done, but even there mistakes appear, as for instance Marcus Hulings is \u2666Prior to the election of 1791, congressmen were voted for in Penn- sylvania on a general ticket for the whole state. WilliamFindley was elected on such a ticket to the Second Congress. Under the Act of the General Assembly of March 16, 1791, the state was divided into eight congressional districts, Westmoreland, Fayette, Washingon and Allegheny counties comprising one district. This district was repre- sented in the Third Congress, 1793-1795, by WilliamFindley. The Population of Pittsburgh in1790 163 shown as being a resident of the Depreciation Tract, while as a matter of fact he lived on the south side of the Monon- gahela River nearly opposite the mouth of Liberty Street, now Liberty Avenue, where he conducted a well known tav- ern. Errors like this, however, are easily accounted for when it is remembered that no books were furnished the assistant marshals in which to write their schedules, and that they generally used such scraps of paper as they happened to have at hand ;and that the papers for the different districts could easily have become mixed in the hands of the enumerators or in Washington. A peculiarity of the census is the fact that while Pitts- burgh was a part of Pitt Township, a separate enumeration was given for itunder the name of "Pittsburgh town." In the summary of the population of Allegheny County, "Pitts- burgh town" is reported as having three hundred and seventy-six inhabitants. The only names appearing in the census of 1790 are those of heads of families. The heads of families in "Pittsburgh town" aggregate seventy-seven, which would make the total population somewhat larger than three hundred and seventy-six, ifthe heads of families were to be multiplied by six, the number which the editor of the reprint of the "Census of1790" states was the average size of families at that time. However, itis entirely likely that many of the residents of Pittsburgh, as was the case in most frontier communities, were unmarried and had no families, which would make the multiplier inapplicable in this particular case. What land was included in the numeration of "Pitts- burgh town" is hard to discover. The plan of the town of Pittsburgh as surveyed by George Woods for the Penns, comprised the triangle between the Allegheny and Monon- gahela rivers, and extended to Grant Street, and Washing- ton Street, now Eleventh Street. But the names given in the schedule of the heads of families of "Pittsburgh town" with a few exceptions, are not the names of the known inhabitants in this part of Pitt Township. The familiar names of most of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh appear in the enumeration of Pitt Township proper, yet the total is at least approximately correct, as while the slips of paper containing the names of the inhabitants may have become intermingled with those of other districts, this probably happened after the total had been struck. Such well known Pittsburghers as Isaac Craig, Presley Neville, Jacob Bausman, and George Fowler, are named as living in that portion of Allegheny County which was taken from Wash- 164 The Population of Pittsburgh in1790 ington County. As itis well known that these persons at some time lived on the south side of the Monongahela River opposite Pittsburgh or had lands there, they have no doubt been correctly placed. The followingis the summary of the population of Alle- gheny County in 17$0>, and the lists of the names of the heads of families living in the various districts of Pitt Township, which are now part of the city of Pittsburgh : SUMMARY OF THE POPULATION OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY IN 1790 Free White Num- Males i,Ar of 16 Free Free All Years White White OtheOther of and Males Females Free TOWNSHIPS heads Upward Under Includ- Person* Slaves Total °nf Includ-16 Years ing ing Heads Fami-. Heads of lies of Families Fami- lies Depreciation Tract 37 50 59 97 __— 206 Elizabeth 256 468 398 710 21 1,597 Pitt 265 390 365 680 2 40 1,477 Pittsburgh town___ 77 100 80 195 1 376 Plum 70 104 105 192 1 402 Versailles 67 94 114 203 3 414 That part of Alle- gheny County taken from Washington county 1,072 1,430 1,622 2,695 9 94 5,850 Total, 1,844 2,636 2,743 4,727 12 159 10,322 PITTSBURGH TOWN Free White Males Free of 16 Free White Years Whit© Females All and Males Including Other Upward, Under Heads of Free Slaves NAME OF HEAD OF FAMILY Includ- 16 Years Families Persons ing Heads of Fami- lies Fowler, Alexander 112 Turnbull, Willm 1 4 dill, Willm 13 4 hapaney, Isaac 1 The Population of Pittsburgh in 1790 165 Richerd, Charles (Black) 1 1 deborney, ann (Black) 2 Saven, ann (Black) 4 Betty, (Black) 1 Repine, Mary 2 3 Funck, Adam 112 Gardner, Hugh 111 Arawine, John 3 14 Butler, Richard 2 2 4 Butler, Ginney —_ 3 4 Brotherington, Robirt 112 Cohoon, Robert 3 2 Watson, David 13 7 Forgit, Charles 112 Gunagul, George 2 3 7 Wiley, Thomas 12 3 Fisher, John 114 handlin, John 12 1 Morason, Jame 1 1 Breson, James 1 1 Wilkeson, John 2 13 dehuff, John 1 1 Wolf, Henry 12 4 hill, Thomas 3 15 Myers, Jacob 2

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